Risalah Untuk Para Pesakit

This concise yet profound treatise by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi was written as a spiritual remedy for those afflicted with illness. Comprising twenty-five short yet powerful “remedies,” the work serves as a balm for the soul, a consolation for the heart, and a guide for turning physical suffering into spiritual elevation.

Rather than viewing illness as mere pain, Nursi reframes it as a divine wake-up call, a means for the believer to recognize their weakness and turn toward God. These twenty-five sections are not only reflections but spiritual prescriptions, offering insight into the wisdom behind suffering. For those who experience pain, each moment can hold spiritual weight—sometimes equal to hours or even days of worship—when endured with patience and trust.

The treatise emphasizes that health and comfort often lead to heedlessness, whereas illness awakens the heart and draws one closer to the truths of existence. Each remedy encourages the reader to reconsider their suffering, not as a punishment, but as a potentially valuable, purifying experience that saves time from being wasted and makes it fruitful for the afterlife.

Included in this volume is also a letter of condolence to grieving parents whose children have died young. With deep compassion, it presents consoling truths grounded in faith: these children are not lost but preserved in eternal youth in the afterlife, destined to reunite with their parents in a world free from sorrow.

The final section reflects on the story of Prophet Ayyub (Job), who endured extreme suffering with steadfast faith. His story serves as a model for how pain, when borne with patience and reliance on God, transforms into spiritual strength. This part also highlights that the greatest calamities are not bodily, but spiritual—such as losing faith, falling into despair, or becoming distant from divine mercy.

This work is a spiritual companion for those suffering physically or emotionally. It invites the reader to find hope, purpose, and meaning in hardship—not by denying the pain, but by uncovering the wisdom within it. It is both healing and awakening, a timeless guide from a master of faith.